A 4A Statement and a AAAA Explosion

A couple of big games to end the work week.  First its the battle of the top 2 in section 4A as CHOF visited Prairie Seeds.  Then the top 2 in the Lake Conference go at it on Senior Night as Eden Prairie visits Hopkins.  Strange night at Hopkins with the regular bleachers remaining pushed in and the movable bleachers put in their place.  Not enough of those to go around so the extra large (and high quality) Hopkins pep band stands all night.  Minnesota coach Richard Pitino on hand to watch.

Thursday: CHOF 69 Prairie Seeds 59
Prairie Seeds playing without top forward Emmanuel Jones and guard Peter Anderson.  Plus reserve Don Ferguson also out of the lineup.  That means Prairie Seeds only dresses 7 guys.  Prairie Seeds gets off to a good start by taking a 16-5 lead.  It stays at 27-18 at the 7 minute mark.  But all CHOF the rest of half.  Its a 17-3 run to end the half and CHOF goes up 5 at the break.  The run extends across halftime and ends up 25-4.  Prairie Seeds goes 10 minutes with just 1 FG. But the Lycans do make it interesting.  AlMonti Booth scores 6 in a row and Jamar Robinson buries a 3 to cut the margin to 52-51.  McCaleb Alleman with a critical 3 and putback for CHOF to push the lead to 9 inside of 3 minutes left.  CHOF out of danger from there. McCaleb Alleman leads all scorers with 26 for CHOF.  That was despite missing some time injured in the 2nd half.  Soph Isaiah Collins with big free throws late to end with 13.  Preston Alleman 11 and Jackson Rohlf 10 for the Lions.  Brian Bohanon with 16 to lead the Lycans.  Jamar Robinson adds 13.  CHOF should lock up the #1 seed in section 4A with the win.  Prairie Seeds still likely the 2 seed.  In 4A and 4AA, the top 4 seeds will receive double byes to the quarterfinals and not play until Saturday of the opening week of tourney play.

Friday: #2AAAA Hopkins 83 Eden Prairie 80
Hopkins starts off hot with 3 Anthony Davis triples and 1 from Blaise Beauchamp for a 16-5 lead.  Eden Prairie would work their way back with their own 3 barrage in every form.  John Henry and Kyler Kluge for 3.  Austin Andrews a 3 point play, Drake Dobbs 3 free throws and another Henry 3.  We're tied at 33 just before the half.  The Eagles hold for the last shot and the lead but turn it over and Beauchamp makes them pay with a buzzer beating triple.  38-34 Hopkins at the half.

Hopkins adds the 1st 8 points of the 2nd half to make the run 13-1.  Royals by 12 with 14:12 left.  Kerwin Walton for 3 and a nice Joe Hedstrom reverse to keep the lead at 13 with 13 minutes left.  Then the Drake Dobbs show begins.  He buries a 3 before Hopkins scores 7 in a row with Zeke Nnaji going And 1 on the BLOB.  62-45 Royals with 9:24 left.  Dobbs scores the next 7 in a personal 7-0 run and the lead is down to 10.  Dobbs then with 3 straight 3s, the last 2 being the tough lean in and maybe got hit variety.  That's 19 straight Eagles points for Dobbs and Hopkins needs timeout.  66-61 Hopkins with 5:17 left after a Dobbs 16-4 run.  Then 6-10 Hopkins free throws and a couple of Eden Prairie bombs from fellow sophs Connor Christensen and Austin Andrews.  That keeps Hopkins up 5 before an Anthony Davis dunk with 1:10 left.  Beauchamp adds 2 more freebies for a 76-67 lead with 37.8 left.  Dobbs with a tough spin for 2 more countered by 2 Nnaji free throws with 22.7 left.  That keeps the lead at 9 and this one is over.

But not tonight.  Dobbs fouled going to the rack and a Hopkins technical.  Dobbs makes all 4 free throws and Eden Prairie keeps the ball with 16.6 left.  Then its Dobbs with the 4 point play on the inbounds of the possession.  All of a sudden the Hopkins lead is only 1 with 14.8 left.  Hopkins misses the back end of 2 but Nnaji grabs the always criminal offensive rebound of the free throw.  He makes both of his free throws to push the lead back to 4.  But its Dobbs from deep again.  Beauchamp makes 2 freebies with 3.6 left.  Eden Prairie out of timeouts but they have 1 last chance.  John Henry with a clean look from the right corner and its no good.  Hopkins just does survive.  Drake Dobbs cooking with gasoline in the 2nd half.  He goes bonkers, bananas and bezerk for 7 3s and 34 points in the 2nd half alone and finishes with 39.  In addition to the 19 in a row earlier in the 2nd half, he scored the last 13 Eden Prairie points.  Austin Andrews adds 13 of his 18 in the 1st half.   Blaise Beauchamp has been more reserved in his shot selection which has helped his game.  A nice outing of 22 points and 3 1st half 3s for the soph guard.  Anthony Davis 11 of his 17 in the 1st half.  Zeke Nnaji with the critical offensive rebound late and 2 free throws.  He finished with 18 points.  Interesting move from Hopkins to go with a couple rotations of Nnaji, Joe Hedstrom and Dane Zimmer all on the floor at the same time.  EP 12-18 FTs compared to 23-35 FTs for Hopkins.